Chapter 769: Chapter 768: The Situation is Hopeless, Direct Surrender
Chu Tianxing angrily smashed a cherished jade ornament that had been on his desk for many years, his mouth releasing an angry roar.
He was truly furious.
Not from the direct lineage, so you think I’m a fool?
If it weren’t for Chu Que and Chu Tianshu being killed by Yang Fei at Yunwu Mountain’s Base, could I, Chu Tianxing, have risen to power, to the position I hold now?
For decades, I, Chu Tianxing, diligently served the Chu family, striving faithfully, and finally an opportunity arrived, yet before I could enjoy ten days of power and glory, the Chu family had fallen.
Let it be defeated then.
Since ancient times, those who orchestrated great affairs have made sacrifices, and I, Chu Tianxing, had long been prepared for this, always ready for the day of failure to arrive, for the day of judgment, and I, Chu Tianxing, would not frown.
However, now that the high-ranking members of the Chu family’s direct lineage have all been arrested, they expect me to secure more benefits for the Chu family, to do that which is condemned by thousands.
Why should I?
Three minutes ago, Chu Tianxing received a text message that shocked him into speechlessness.
The Chu family had fallen silently like this?
The despicable Ning family betrayed the Chu family, delivering all its members into the hands of the Qin family, reducing them to prisoners.
This news truly shocked Chu Tianxing into speechlessness.
He hardly dared believe it was true.
But the source of the message was absolutely reliable, it was the Chu family’s own intelligence system, and moreover, the person who sent the message was a trustworthy member of the Chu family.
The content of the message not only informed him of the Chu family’s current plight but also issued him an order.
To control all leaders in Imperial City, holding imperial authority to direct the nobles, so as to negotiate with the Qin family to reduce the Chu family’s crimes, and to minimize the costs the Chu family had to pay.
Chu Tianxing first laughed out of anger, then furiously smashed his beloved jade ornament.
Really, do you think I, Chu Tianxing, am a fool?
You are arrested, yet you want me to jump into a pit of fire for the future of the family?
The key is, when the family was glorious, I saw no support from you, and now that disaster strikes, why should I be the villain?
Suppressing his rage, Chu Tianxing knew the situation was beyond salvage, and to continue defending Imperial City, to stubbornly resist, would be meaningless.
He decided to leave Imperial City.
Because he was very aware that many of the recent actions he had taken were unforgivable, and to take the fall for the Chu family, his charges could even be greater than those of Chu Shiguang.
Leaving Imperial City, leaving Divine Continent, that was his only way out.
Sitting and waiting for death was not in the nature of Chu Tianxing.
At that moment, Chu Tianxing issued his command, leading his team to leave the headquarters building.
Just taking the team that was loyal to him and fleeing was not enough; having left Divine Continent, he needed enough funds to sustain these people, so he had to take a large amount of gold and jewels with him.
In times of chaos, these were the most reliable assets.
Many experts in the Imperial Guard, upon learning the reason from Chu Tianxing, also knew that only by leaving Divine Continent would they have a chance at survival, and they supported Chu Tianxing’s decision to escape without hesitation.
The group left the headquarters building, surrounding Chu Tianxing as they rushed toward the helicopter.
Just then, a terrifying aura swept in.
"Run!"
Sensing the crisis, Chu Tianxing ordered the escape without hesitation, even thinking that the attacker might be Qin Yanyang, his heart filled with extreme fear.
"You can’t escape!" a cold voice sounded, like a low chant from a hellish demon, echoing beside his ear.
Chu Tianxing was terrified, he looked up only to see a shadow flash before him like a ghost, and two Imperial Guard experts lunged at the figure but were thrown out before they could even take a fighting stance.
The newcomer was incredibly fast!
Chu Tianxing moved quickly too, he drew his pistol and continuously pulled the trigger at the incoming figure.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
The gunshots shattered the peace of the night, yet they hit nothing but darkness, missing the target.
The next instant, a hand clutched Chu Tianxing’s throat.
A cold voice entered Chu Tianxing’s ears, "Have them stand down."
As sweat rolled down Chu Tianxing’s forehead and he teetered on the brink of terror, feeling the fingers that could crush his throat at any moment, he blurted out without hesitation, "Stand down... All of you, stand down, no shooting!"
Around them, many experts of the Imperial Guard drew their weapons, aiming at Zhu Tianshou, who was holding Chu Tianxing hostage.
Yet Zhu Tianshou remained fearless.
On the contrary, it was Chu Tianxing himself who was terrified, his complexion pale. Should a weapon discharge accidentally, he might be the one to die, while the strong man holding him hostage would likely remain unharmed by such light weaponry.
The personnel of the Imperial Guard dared not fire, yet they couldn’t simply abandon Chu Tianxing, resulting in a deadlock.
However, from afar, the alarm sounded frantically, and the surrounding Imperial Guard rushed towards the area. Additionally, some were making calls, mobilizing troops from afar to come and support.
For the vast majority of the Imperial Guard, they didn’t know that Chu Tianxing had decided to flee, yet as their highest commander, now being held hostage, how could they simply stand by and watch?
Thus, massive numbers of the Imperial Guard troops started moving towards the headquarters.
Even many police forces were alerted and quickly assembled to rush to the scene.
Zhu Tianshou hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly.
He had Chu Tianxing under his control but did not see any expert from the Hidden Sect of the Innate Realm appearing. And among the Imperial Guard, even the strongest were merely in the Mid-stage Energy Transformation Realm.
Not to mention that he had already advanced to the Divine Travel Realm, even if he had stayed in the Innate Realm, he was more than capable of handling such a situation.
Originally, he had come to kill Chu Tianxing, but seeing the troops continuously gathering around, he gave up the idea of killing Chu Tianxing instantly and decided to buy more time for Deep Blue Prison.
"Predecessor... Did Qin Yanyang send you to kill me? Actually... Actually, you really didn’t need to do this. The Chu family is finished, and I, Chu Tianxing, was just about to surrender."
Seeing that Zhu Tianshou hadn’t killed him immediately, Chu Tianxing suppressed his fear and boldly spoke.
Zhu Tianshou was taken aback and puzzled, "What are you talking about? The Chu family is finished?"
Chu Tianxing also paused, "Don’t you know, Predecessor?"
Zhu Tianshou asked, "Know what?"
"The Ning family has betrayed us, the entirety of the Chu family, including Chu Shiguang and other big names, has been turned over to the Qin Family in Jiangnan County. The stand-off and division are about to end." Chu Tianxing spoke immediately.
He was somewhat speechless.
He had thought that Zhu Tianshou knew about this, but it seemed Zhu was oblivious.
He almost died for nothing.
He quickly added, "The Chu family has lost. I... I can’t continue making mistakes, I was just about to go to the Central South Sea to let those leaders make a statement, declaring the Divine Continent returning to unification."
Zhu Tianshou was indeed a bit stunned.
He hadn’t expected to hear such crucial information from Chu Tianxing and couldn’t help but ask, "Is the Chu family really finished? Did the Ning family betray your alliance and sell out the Chu family?"
"Yes. I just got the news. You might have been hiding in Imperial City and not received the message yet," Chu Tianxing said immediately.
This significant event also stirred excitement in Zhu Tianshou, who scolded, "Are you lying to me?"
"At this point, where would I dare to lie?" Chu Tianxing said.
Zhu Tianshou was about to say more, but nearby, a communicator from the Imperial Guard carried by a communication officer began to blare with pleas for help, "Deep Blue Prison is under attack, requesting reinforcements, requesting reinforcements."
Chu Tianxing’s mind raced, and he asked, "Predecessor, is it also your people in action at Deep Blue Prison?"
Zhu Tianshou did not answer.
Chu Tianxing urgently said, "Predecessor, take me with you; it can reduce unnecessary casualties, I can make them release the hostages."
Zhu Tianshou was delighted and asked, "Can you do it?"
"All military powers of Imperial City are under my control, I would naturally be useful there," Chu Tianxing said anxiously.
In reality, he had no control over the situation at Deep Blue Prison, but now he had no choice but to boast.
Since he couldn’t escape, he had to think of a way to remedy the situation, trying to minimize his culpability.
"Since you have such authority, why ask to go there personally? Contact Deep Blue Prison right now and tell them to release the hostages," Zhu Tianshou said bluntly.
Chu Tianxing did not hesitate and immediately said to the communicator, "Connect me to Deep Blue Prison; I need to speak with Duanmu Chao."
Duanmu Chao, a member of the Duanmu family, was not originally assigned to Deep Blue Prison, but now, due to the particular nature of the hostages held there, he was leading a team stationed at Deep Blue Prison.